Plan for Progress  

Building a wooden boat can be a wonderful way to apply your skill and inventiveness. If this is the first boat you are attempting to create then you will likely do well by following a simpler design that doesn’t require too much detailing or an exceedingly large budget. However, regardless of the design chosen, you should still be able to use your boat. Therefore functionality should be considered in the overall process. When you have obtained all the necessary tools and materials and have chosen the design you will use, you can begin this very exciting and satisfying project.

How To Build A Wooden Boat

Required Tools

Power drill
Set square
Steel ruler
Tape measure
Power jigsaw
Power plane
Random orbit sander
Handsaw
Hand plane
Hand sanding block

Required Materials

Marine Plywood or Regular Plywood
Epoxy
Fibreglass
Paint and/or other Waterproofing treatment

Instructions

The method used here is deemed the stitch and glue method. It is used to make three dimensional objects from two well known materials: plywood and epoxy resin. It is not hard to build a boat utilising this method once you follow the steps carefully.

1.To begin cut your pieces of plywood in the shape specified by your design. You will need to use your power tools, hand saw, measuring tape, set square and ruler at this point to cut the pieces correctly. The precision of the plywood pieces will give your boat a better look and more stability when it is ready to be sailed.

2.On one of your cut pieces of plywood, drill a few small holes and space them about 10cm apart. You will then repeat this process with another piece of your plywood these holes will correlate to the first set you have put in your original section of plywood.

3.These two pieces will be joined together using copper or plastic cable ties. Ensure you use a sufficient length for each hole, to fasten it effectively.

4.After the pieces have been properly combined you will now be ready to put on your thickened epoxy. The epoxy will be put on the joints of the pieces, thereby securing the pieces entirely. If you want to improve the bonding capability of the epoxy you can utilize a light layer of epoxy that has not been thickened on the pieces of plywood first and then apply the thickened epoxy after a couple minutes have gone by. This will give the glued sections more stability than the wood itself.

5.Let the Epoxy cure, this means letting it dry and set. Once this is done remove the bits of wire from the plywood and then use fibreglass, tape and more epoxy to close up the holes and prevent any leaks.

6.Once the complete structure has been created you will still need to make your boat water ready. Even if the plywood is has been initially treated it must be painted and coated with a durable waterproofing finish. This finish will act as a sealant and prevent the wood from getting waterlogged. Before putting on you finish you will need to sand down your boat using your sand paper and/or other power tools to soften the body and edges. To do this you may use a thin coat of epoxy first to seal the wood and then apply a coat of standard outdoor paint to guard against the damaging effects of the sun.

7.Your boat is now ready for the water.

Tips and Warnings

The overall time to complete this project will vary. You will need to take a break at some point to allow the epoxy to cure after you put on each coat this will usually require about 5-7 days. However, doing it efficiently is the only way to make certain that your boat will perform effectively.

Make sure you are taking the right safety precautions inclusive of putting on a protective mask, safety glasses, close weave working clothes and using disposable plastic gloves. During the sanding and drilling process there will be a lot of dust flying around therefore a particle mask will be vital. Additionally the gloves will ensure that your hands will not get in direct contact with the epoxy, which while not a lethal material is best not touched with bare fingers. Of course the glasses will hinder any unforeseeable injury to the eyes.

Research different boat designs and opt for a plan based on your extensive research. The less complicated the plan the better.